Interesting thoughts about cables

[Feanor]

The title of the article was Music or Sound and I think if we get too hung up on cables we miss the point.

I remember when I first began listening to classical music. I have had no formal musical education. The first was Mussorgsky's "Pictures At An Exhibition" and I enjoyed it due to the repetitive theme. Something familiar kept returning to hold my attention. Many years later my tastes and appreciation for more styles of classical music has evolved.

As my tastes have grown it became important to upgrade my system. I wanted the nuances. In the beginning some music could put me into sensory overload so I liked simply themed music. Sometimes listening to a top of the line system was not satisfying and now I wonder if it gave me more than I could handle. I remember that system and now I know it was giving me more music than sound.

I know in the past I have chosen sound over music but today I am enjoying the music. Of course the quest continues for more music.

I certainly agree that complex music can urge you to upgrade!! No disrespecting, though, audiophiles never get around to listening to anything but rock or other forms of amplified music.

But with "simple" music you aren't concerned whether those voices are the sopranos or the altos, or whether you're is listening to a violin or viola, or whether can make out the actual words in a large-scale choral work.

Another thing about complex music is that the quality of the recording is also made more critical -- sometimes better equipment seems mostly to reveal how mediocre or downright bad a particular recording is.

[Mr Peabody]

Now Feanor, that's a wild general statement about audiophiles that just isn't true, and I suspect just the opposite. When ever I go to audio events I usually have to ask for something with more energy to be played. I listen to a wide variety of music including Classical. Amongst other instruments, I like listening to drums to see how a system does. As a side note this is an area Krell excels in, IMO.

Cables, like any component in your chain, has to have synergy within the system. Cables can be a worthy upgrade and rather significant in instances. I couldn't live with the degradation of going back to stock or even BJC.

JM, the title is "Sound or Music" but it seems the point was more to the depth of listening. I've known a few people who love music but don't care that much about the quality. One guy is a huge collector, burns a lot of music from LP to CD, pops and all, he don't care what it sounds like. After recording what he wants he gets rid of the LP. Another friend who collected music didn't care about sound, he blew a woofer and just replaced it with something from the Radio Shack sale table, there was even a gap between driver and cabinet. I nicknamed him the anti-audiophile . Maybe they don't count in this discussion as they are music lovers but not audiophiles. It's interesting that a group calling themselves an audio group would choose the bass sound with less detail, it's almost like kids with there car stereo, you hear a boom but can't depict at all what is making it, in other words there's noise but it doesn't resemble music. I think that's the writer's point can so called audiophiles discern gear that brings them closer to a true music reproduction. Although I think with a chosen reference there can be a concensus of what music reproduction is but this can also be subjective. For instance, I would consider a symphony or acoustic Jazz in a club a good reference but if some one was like Feanor stated and only had a reference of Rock venues there reference is going to be different, skewed in my opinion in judging audio gear.

I certainly agree that complex music can urge you to
upgrade!! No disrespecting, though, audiophiles never get around to listening to anything but rock or other forms of amplified music.

But with "simple" music you aren't concerned whether those voices are the sopranos or the altos, or whether you're is listening to a violin or viola, or whether can make out the actual words in a large-scale choral work.

Another thing about complex music is that the quality of the recording is also made more critical -- sometimes better equipment seems mostly to reveal how mediocre or downright bad a particular recording is.

[LeRoy]

Cables, like any component in your chain, has to have synergy within the system. Cables can be a worthy upgrade and rather significant in instances.

Mr P., I agree with your position here. I have always felt that the cables & power cords are the system within the system that allow the music to be set loose or set free. It's been my experience when the system within the system is not synergistic then the listening event is about sound only.

[Feanor]

Now Feanor, that's a wild general statement about audiophiles that just isn't true, and I suspect just the opposite. When ever I go to audio events I usually have to ask for something with more energy to be played. I listen to a wide variety of music including Classical. Amongst other instruments, I like listening to drums to see how a system does. As a side note this is an area Krell excel[U][I]s in, IMO.
...

Yes, I mispoke; I meant to say, "No disrespect, though, some audiophiles never get around to listening to anything but rock or other forms of amplified music."